Illustration of flute
- flute 1b
1
a
b
: a keyed woodwind instrument consisting of a cylindrical tube which is stopped at one end and which has a side hole over which air is blown to produce the tone and having a range from middle C upward for three octaves
2
: something long and slender: such as
a
: a tall slender wineglass
b
: a grooved pleat (as on a hat brim)
3
: a rounded groove
specifically
: one of the vertical parallel grooves on a classical architectural column
fluted; fluting
fluter
noun
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This is a woodwind instrument whose sound is produced by blowing against a sharp edge. Flutes may be end-blown, like the recorder, or may have a round shape, like the ocarina; however, the term usually refers to the transverse flute of Western music. The transverse flute, a tubular instrument held sideways to the right, appeared in Greece and Italy by the second century ce. By the 16th century, flutes with finger holes but no keys were in use in Europe. Keys began to be added in the late 17th century. Later 19th-century innovations resulted in the modern flute. The cylindrical tube may be made of wood or, more often, a precious metal or alloy. The flute family also includes the piccolo, the alto flute, and the rare bass flute.
Examples of flute in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Benedict Browne, Robb Report, 7 Feb. 2025
So that's me, uh, playing the flute with Marthe, uh, and with, uh, the piano and my sisters.
—Lorena Galliot, Scientific American, 5 Feb. 2025
Maggie Lewis Thomas, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Dec. 2024
The points were fluted and came in various sizes, often used on projectiles like spears.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2024
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Noun
Available in three sophisticated shades – carbon, affogato, and flute (a light, blue-tinged grey) – it’s spun from 100% cashmere sourced from a prestigious Italian mill regarded as the world’s finest, and knitted to be a double-faced jersey, which is unusual.
—Benedict Browne, Robb Report, 7 Feb. 2025
So that's me, uh, playing the flute with Marthe, uh, and with, uh, the piano and my sisters.
—Lorena Galliot, Scientific American, 5 Feb. 2025
Verb
In 75 minutes – in fluting, soaring voices, to music by Jan Ekedahl – 35 singers carry us to Stockholm and back.
—Maggie Lewis Thomas, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Dec. 2024
The points were fluted and came in various sizes, often used on projectiles like spears.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flute
Dictionary Entries Near flute
Cite this Entry
“Flute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flute. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flute
2 of 2 verb
fluted; fluting
1
: to play a flute
2
: to make a sound like that of a flute
3
: to form flutes in
fluted columns
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